The Life of a Hunter
by Lenorathetrekkie
Summary: One shot for the bounty hunter storyline on Taris. Spoilers for Taris. It begged me to write it, and come out of writing retirement to post it. A second chapter is up, but they will still be one shots in no particular order. Slight spoilers for Alderaan.
1. Chapter 1- Mako

A one shot for the Bounty hunter storyline on Taris. Spoilers for Taris as well, so be warned if you avoid such things. I may write more one shots if I get inspiration.

Mako:

No one was expecting a sniper shot. A cheap trick, for a Mandalorian honor duel. But she should have seen it coming- it was a duel with a traitor, after all. She cursed herself for not seeing it coming. She heard the shot before she saw it coming. She'd been standing right next to him, but the sniper's aim was true. The only thing that saved his life is that he'd heard it too, and had moved just a fraction. The next thing she saw was him falling with a clatter of armor. They may be getting the big bounties now, but he always spent his credits helping her upgrade her armor before he got anything for himself. He was always surprising her with upgraded items... making sure it fit her, making sure it was the best.

Now, though... hearing the shot, seeing him fall with a clatter... she panicked and wished he thought of his own armor first.

"Are you alright!?" She didn't even think about the possibility of a second strike. She ran over to his side, begging in her mind for him to be alive. Obviously the sniper thought him dead, because no second shot came. She reached an arm out to touch his shoulder but was met with his hand. He groaned and pulled himself to a sitting position. Inside, she was singing, though she wasn't quite sure why.

"Yeah, I'm fine." His response was gruff, as usual. But she'd come to expect brevity from him. He immediately got up, and looked around. His communicator was beeping again. He shook it and activated it. While he cursed Jicoln Cadera to the tiny, flickering holo image of his son, she silently thanked any dieties that looked out for Mandalorians. She still wasn't quite sure why.

He was dark and brooding- a man of few words. But when he spoke to her, his voice was as gentle as she'd ever heard it. He never had anything but praise for her assistance and her abilities. He'd defended her. And without Braden, he might be considered her only family. At least, the only family that she knew and trusted. But on the other hand- he WAS dark. He was a mercenary after all, not the keeper of a flower shop. He had a streak for vengence- something that had benefitted her because he'd eagerly agreed to beat Tarro Blood in the Great Hunt. No one else, probably not even Braden, would have taken on such a dangerous task against an opponent who cheated. And no one else, except probably Braden, would have done so using only fair play on his own end. Braden would have made her stay on the ship for safety, but he saw her value on and off the battlefield, and let her follow him wherever she wanted to go.

So follow him she did. And follow him she will. Even into the places where that slimy Gault complained about and refused to go. She liked him. Probably more than was professional. Who else would look out for him? Certainly not Gault.

"Mako. We've got the next set of coordinates. Let's go." He was putting his communicator back into his pocket. He pointed north, toward the gap in the ruined wall they had gone through earlier.

"Alright boss, lead the way. I see the Cathar are going back to their posts, so be careful." She kept her eyes peeled this time, and her hands close to her blaster and her med scanner.


	2. Chapter 2- Gault

I'm going to jump around a little, so this chapter is on Alderaan. Minor spoilers for the planet quest. No significant spoilers for the bounty hunter's quest.

Gault

Gault regretted ever going to Tatooine. If someone had told him before he'd ever gone to that cursed rock that he'd be working for a bounty hunter that had tried to kill him, he would have told that being to go space themselves. For a guy who tried to kill him, this hunter wasn't so bad. Sure, his ship was cramped, but he had his own space and the other two left him alone for the most part. The girl he traveled with wasn't so bad to look at either- for a human. He wouldn't mind seeing Mako in a cantina girl's get-up, even with that metal stuff on her face. Obviously his boss didn't mind- he was human himself, and he also had his own fair share of metal on his face. He was curious why the guy needed an eye implant, but he didn't ask. He didn't want anyone asking about his missing horn, so he returned the favor by not mentioning the eye implant to his boss.

The other thing he liked was that his boss usually took Mako with him. In fact, the girl almost pouted if he asked her to stay behind. Part of it was that he could tell she didn't trust him, mostly because Gault had tried to kill them right back on Tatooine. The day Mako trusted Gault to have anyone's back was the day he turned into a Jedi.

Now, though, they were on Alderaan. He was hanging out in the tiny little cantina near the Thul estate, lamenting the cursed desert rock that had lost him his ship and freedom. The hunter only had to stay two words, Tyresius Lokai, and he'd have no choice but to cooperate with him. But he had a feeling that the hunter wasn't really supposed to leave him alive- a disobedience he was very grateful for, and a piece of leverage he could use if necessary. The hunter had a code, and he could respect that. The hunter also seemed to admire his resourcefulness and ability to get out of a tight jam. When they were in a jam, or when Mako was busy with something, were the only times their boss ever really needed him. Which he was just fine with. If the girl wanted to get shot at, then let her follow the hunter on his jobs. Gault was just as happy in a cantina, watching the girls dance and drinking various local beverages.

As if thinking about them had called them, the hunter and the girl entered the cantina just at that moment. They were arguing about something, and he was always interested in overhearing good information.

"Geeze, can you just sit still for a minute, please?" Mako had a kolto patch in her hand, and was trying to dress what looked like a blaster burn that had gotten between two armor plates on his arm.

"I'm fine, Mako. Leave it." He shrugged, looking uncomfortable at the attention. Gault could relate- what man wanted to be fussed over like that? He took off his helmet and shook out his sweaty hair. The hunter looked over at Gault and nodded briefly in greeting. They may not be exactly friends, but they were cordial with each other. Mako didn't notice anything beyond trying to pry apart the armor plates in her way as soon as the hunter's arm stopped moving for more than a second. This earned her a grimace from the hunter, who seemed to realize she was determined. He finally sat down and offered her his injured arm.

"I don't know why you two insist on going places where you get shot at, anyway." Gault drained the rest of his drink and pushed the empty glass away from him.

"We found some interesting enough stuff. Better than sitting around at those fancy parties." The hunter shrugged again, making Mako grab his shoulder firmly to keep him still. "Gotta go to House Panteer later, and see about some aggressive negotiations with Ulgo. Heading to Girard now to give them an update."

Gault made a sour face. "For a planet full of aristocrats, these people are awfully violent. I'll pass, I've had enough of people who look at me like I'm something the kath hound dragged in. Let me know when you're ready to leave this rock."

Mako stood up and brushed her hands together. "There, that should do it." The hunter stood too, and started putting the armor plates back into place over the bandage. He rolled his shoulders to test his range of motion. "Thanks, Mako." Gault didn't miss the ghost of a smile he gave her, and he knew the boss's annoyance was just an act. The guy had a sense of humor, dry though it was, but still didn't smile or laugh very often. Mako noticed it too, and briefly turned bright red. "Come on, I wanna see the look on those nobles' faces when we tell them we got the job done." She smiled brightly and walked out of the cantina. The hunter scooped up his worn helmet and followed her, a bemused expression on his face.


End file.
